Chemo No. 3 - Wed. Session - (Journal Date: 4/20/05)

5/25/2005

I learned that the first week after chemo is a little rough, but the next two weeks I feel more like myself and I have good energy.

Today I get to see my favorite nurses. I think that I am frustrating them a little because they promised me that they were going to get the rest of my hair by now. I am a little thin on top, but I'm maintaining hair on the sides of my head. To stir things up a little, I wore a baseball cap with a band of long hair (a wig to the shoulders) attached to the inside of the cap. When I arrived at the nurses station with even "more hair" than I had last time, it put them over the edge!! Several of the patients, as well as the nurses, got a kick out of our shenanigans. (They don't know that I am using "super glue mousse" and "miracle grow" on the little bit of real hair that I have left.) Laughter is such good medicine!!

Today's treatment included my ususal "chemo cocktail" followed by Rituxin. The anti-histamines made me more sleepy this time.

I have gained 12 pounds since the beginning of my treatments. The Prednisone is mostly to blame, but my family also heard the doctor recommend that I not lose weight during treatments. They have adopted the "Eat Papa, Eat" program for everything from meals to cake and ice-cream.

I have been able to work most days except perhaps the Monday and Tuesday after chemo. We moved back into our house after a delightful camp out at the lake. We even camped a few extra days since the kids enjoyed it so much and the weather was great.